Muda scam: CM Siddaramaiah to be prosecuted; BJP seeks resignation

Bengaluru/New Delhi: Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Saturday granted sanction for prosecution of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment 'scam’, sparking a political storm and demands by the BJP for the Congress leader's resignation.

Siddaramaiah, 76, firmly ruled out his resignation--both before and after a specially convened meeting of the state Cabinet--and said he has done no wrong to quit after the governor's move in the alleged corruption case dealt a big jolt to the nearly 15-month-old Congress government.

As the Congress and the state Cabinet rallied behind Siddaramaiah, a prominent OBC leader, the chief minister and his deputy D K Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief, denounced the governor's action, calling it "unconstitutional and illegal", and vowed to fight the move politically and legally.

The governor’s sanction, which comes at a time when the Congress is facing a factional feud in a key southern state, is expected to pave the way for investigating agencies to initiate a probe into the allegations against the chief minister.

Congress workers and supporters of Siddaramaiah staged protests in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mandya and several other parts of the state against the governor's move.

With Siddaramaiah expected to approach the Karnataka High Court to challenge the sanction, Pradeep Kumar, one of the complainants in the MUDA 'scam' case, filed a caveat in the high court.

The court will now need to hear the arguments of the original complainant before reaching any conclusions if the chief minister mounts a legal challenge.

The state Cabinet, at a specially convened meeting this evening under the leadership of Siddaramaiah, condemned the governor's decision, terming it as "politically motivated", and vowed to wage a legal fight.

The chief minister questioned as to why he should resign, and said the governor has to quit, because he allegedly acted like a "puppet" in the hands of the Centre.

The governor accorded sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 for the commission of the alleged offences as mentioned in the petitions of activists Pradeep Kumar S P, T J Abraham and Snehamayi Krishna.

In the MUDA 'scam', it is alleged that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi in an upmarket area in Mysuru, which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land which had been "acquired" by the MUDA.

The MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land, where MUDA developed a residential layout.

Under the controversial scheme, MUDA allotted 50 per cent of developed land to the land losers in lieu of undeveloped land acquired from them for forming residential layouts.

Opposition and some activists have also claimed that Parvathi had no legal title over 3.16 acres of land.

Congress workers and supporters of Siddaramaiah staged protests in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mandya and several other parts of the state against the governor's move.

The BJP, which is in the opposition in Karnataka, has been agitating in the state for weeks targeting Siddaramaiah on the issue, reiterated its demand for his resignation, with its state president B Y Vijayendra saying this would allow a transparent and unbiased investigation.

BJP MPs Sambit Patra and Tejasvi Surya, at a press conference in Delhi, rejected the Congress' allegation that the governor's decision was motivated by politics and claimed that it was a serious case of corruption involving Siddaramaiah and his family. They demanded that the chief minister step down.

BJP president J P Nadda attacked the Congress and said the Muda 'scam' was yet another instance of the party's "hypocrisy and family-centric politics", alleging that the Congress' legacy of corruption continues.

Speaking to reporters after the special Cabinet meeting in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the Cabinet has condemned the governor's decision as "illegal and unconstitutional."

"The governor has functioned as the representative of the central government and the Cabinet condemned it."

"Tell me why I should resign. According to me the governor has to resign, because he acted like a puppet in the hands of the Government of India....Tell me, what is the offence that I have committed?" he questioned.

He charged the Centre with trying to destabilise an elected government by "using" the governor.

Siddaramaiah earlier in the day said he has done no wrong to step down and that he will battle it out legally. .

He also said the entire Cabinet, the Congress high-command and MLAs have expressed their solidarity with him.

Shivakumar slammed the governor's move as 'unconstitutional' and 'undemocratic', and asserted that the entire party and the government solidly stood behind Siddaramaiah, as he categorically dismissed BJP's demand for the chief minister's resignation.

"The INDIA bloc has also expressed its solidarity with the CM. These are false allegations and we will fight it legally and politically." Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge said "BJP-appointed" Governors are creating trouble for non-BJP-ruled States. He, however, maintained that he had to see why Gehlot granted permission to prosecute Siddaramaiah.

Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala dubbed the governor's action as an act of “political vendetta”.

In Bengaluru, a massive protest was organised by Congress workers and members of 'Karnataka Pradesh Kurubara Sangha' demanding removal of the Governor. 

Raising anti-Gehlot slogans, they burnt his effigies and carried placards saying "Remove Governor, Save State" Granting sanction, the governor said it is very necessary to conduct a neutral, objective, and non-partisan investigation, adding that he is prima facie "satisfied" that the allegations and the supporting materials disclose commission of offences.

Gehlot also termed as "irrational" the decision taken by the Council of Ministers advising him to withdraw his show-cause notice to the chief minister and to reject the application seeking prosecution sanction.

Based on a petition filed by Abraham, the governor had issued a "show-cause notice" on July 26 directing the chief minister to submit his reply to the allegations against him within seven days as to why permission for prosecution should not be granted against him.

The Karnataka government had on August one "strongly advised" the governor to withdraw his "show-cause notice" to the Chief Minister and alleged "gross misuse of the Constitutional Office'' of the governor.

The Congress government on July 14 constituted a single member inquiry commission under former High Court Judge Justice P N Desai to probe the MUDA 'scam'.

Opposition BJP and JD(S) in Karnataka had held a week-long 'padayatre' (foot march) earlier this month from Bengaluru to Mysuru demanding Siddaramaiah's resignation in connection with the scam.